Jacob held his peace

34:5 Jacob held his peace. Jacob apparently took no part in the subsequent negotiations and plans, perhaps so grieved and distressed that he went off by himself. Probably he suddenly realized his dreadful mistake in settling so close and so long to such a callously immoral pagan city as Shechem. However, he compounded his mistake by being so indecisive in this crisis, abdicating his responsibility to Dinah’s two hot-headed older brothers.